40 Actors Who Kept Getting Typecast Only To Nail A Completely Different Role
Being someone you’re not takes a lot to pull off. Even if it is for a job, i.e. acting (as opposed to lying, feigning, avoiding situations or responsibilities, etc.).
It’s even more so impressive when an actor who’s historically predominantly been typecast to fill a particular kind of role breaks free from the shackles of assumption and proves to the world just how versatile they are as professionals.
Well, folks on Reddit have been discussing just that: actors who were typecast, but performed spectacularly in a role against that type. Take a scroll down the list to see the answers, and why not also share some of your insights and picks for the list in the comment section below.
Gary Oldman played a lot of bad guys. Liam Neeson played a lot of good guys.
Christopher Nolan reversed that typecasting in Batman Begins.
Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems.
acart005 replied:
I scrolled too damn far before I saw Adam. That man is a Robin Williams level actor in the right films when it comes to flawless serious and comedic acting.
The problem is he figured out he gets paid more to hang out with his friends on camera for mid comedies (ex. Grown Ups). You can’t blame him if the studio is gonna pay for you and all your bros to hangout in Hawaii for a few months AND you get a dump truck of cash, you would do it too. So even though I think he has the actual acting potential to equal Robin, his overall filmography never will which is sad.
His debut comedies are eternal classics and Punch Drunk Love, Longest Yard, and Uncut Gems are all extremely well made serious films.
For those unaware, typecasting is when film directors and anyone else responsible repeatedly assign the same actors to the same types of roles because of the appropriateness of their appearance or previous success in the roles. The most common reason for that is the industry and (or) the audience simply wants specific people playing specific roles. Simple as that.
Steve Carell comes to mind for mainly being known for his comedic roles to then doing films like foxcatcher and beautiful boy.
AmusingMusing7 replied:
I think Little Miss Sunshine was his first real dramatic role.
I think Matthew McConaughey is up there for breaking out of the romcom stuff to do things like Interstellar.
An example of typecasting can be seen with actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose entire career is mostly based on the strong man action hero type of character.
The same can be said about the likes of Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, and Bryan Cranston, all of whom mostly had funny, lighthearted or otherwise comedic roles, but when given an antithetical role nailed that too.
Bruce Willis broke into action roles with Die Hard.
TheBoredMan replied:
Yeah people these days forget Bruce Willis was a TV heart throb when Die Hard came out. People were used to 80s body builders starring in action movies and a lot of the buzz came from confusion “An action movie starring BRUCE WILLIS wtf??”
moo-loy replied:
Audiences laughed en mass when trailers for Die Hard were aired. The thought of Bruce Willis playing an action hero was hilarious to the general public.
Woody Harrelson. It would be an understatement to say people were surprised when Woody from Cheers showed up starring in Natural Born Killers.
Also, Bruce Willis. Until Die Hard, everyone knew him as a romantic lead. He was in Moonlighting with Cybill Shepherd.
It’s not to say being typecast is a bad thing. As long as the actor enjoys the role, no harm done. There are drawbacks to being typecast, one of the more annoying ones being that if someone organizes a roast of a typical typecast actor, the roasters can get a couple of cheap jabs at them for always being [insert typecast archetype here].
Surprised I haven’t seen Ralph Finnes in here. Guy built his career on prestige drama roles, and never shied away from playing an unlikable character. See The English Patient, Schindler’s List, Red Dragon, The Dutchess, Harry Potter, etc. His performances are always heavy.
Then he goes and does The Grand Budapest and you see the guy has great comedic timing. Blew my mind to be laughing at Ralph Finnes.
Between the latest James Bond movies and *Layer Cake*, **Daniel Craig** is mostly known as “suave British spy / criminal.” But later he proved he has comedic talent and also a knack for southern accents in *Logan Lucky* and the *Knives Out* films.
Robin Williams playing a killer in Insomnia was always so striking to me. He did such a great job and it was so different from his prior roles.
All jokes aside, typecasting can be problematic. As is with excessive repetition, being typecast can stifle an actors creativity and freedom in a role, it can lead to serious criticism, notwithstanding a role being done for too long which can also lead the audience to lose interest. Lastly, it’s understandable how trends might change and hence a type won’t last forever, leaving an actor having to adjust and adapt to other roles they might have experience in.
Tom Hanks in Road to Perdition. He leaned into that role so hard and it really paid off. Never would’ve thought he’d play a great gangster like that.
But, as mentioned before, typecasting is not bad. Per se.
Typecasting is proven to be an effective way of helping actors lift their career off the ground. Also, knowing a type—one that is clear cut—is easy to capture and define, allowing actors to specialize and make marketing simple. And, in the long run, a well-defined type can lead to name recognition, with actors becoming household names, sort to say.
Most recently Dave Bautista in Knock at the Cabin.
AliasUndercover123 replied:
Bautista in every role. Dude broke in with Guardians and then made a decision to go as varied as possible to break the typecast and prove he’s got skill. He’s the anti-Rock.
deathbystereo007 replied:
I love that he very obviously cares about working with great directors and pushing boundaries with interesting roles. The Rock has chosen instead to chase money & feed his ego – & thus, has taken on almost no roles that take risks. At one time he did seem relatively eager to take on different types of roles (like in Be Cool), but somewhere along the way he became satisfied with just playing the same character over and over. I don’t mean to say that all of his films are bad. The Jumanji reboot & the sequel were surprisingly good. I just always know exactly what I’m getting from The Rock in a movie & that can become stale pretty quickly.
Robert Pattinson post-Twilight BUT ALSO I have so much respect for Elijah Wood and Daniel Radcliffe. They made their money and then just started doing BONKERS stuff that they really believed in and wanted to do. Elijah Wood in Sin City and I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore (plus SpectreVision which is a production company he started that produces proper B horror), and Radcliffe in Horns, Swiss Army Man, and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
FreeShavocadoCitizen replied:
Agree 100%. Loved Elijah so much growing up, then he went from hobbit to serial killer and it was chilling.
justhere4daSpursnGOT replied:
Green street hooligans is a great movie that he really gave his all in. Completely changed my view of him
It goes without saying that breaking a typecast is possible, albeit mileage may vary from professional to professional.
Examples can be seen in this list, but if you’re an aspiring actor or one who needs a change in life, there are a number of things that you can do to break free from the shackles of typecasting.
I haven’t seen anyone mention James Caan’s amazing performance in Elf or George Clooney going to near Nic Cage levels in Burn After Reading. I think Burn After Reading is an amazing overlooked Coen Brothers movie that does a good job getting actors to play against type
I think Sally Field provided the blueprint for breaking type casting originally with Sybil. Then came her Oscar wins.
Will Farrell – Everything must go and Stranger than Fiction.
The most obvious approach is to change your look, behavior or accent. Changing that which is immediately seen can also change how people feel about you.
The same applies to your brand—getting new headshots, reworking the resume and maybe even providing different footage in your portfolio would be a great start.
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers. People were scoffing at the idea that the snarky goofball from Fantastic Four would be the stalwart, noble leader of the avengers. Said Downey would act him off the screen in Avengers. That the character itself was too boring and he wouldn’t elevate it. Instead became the heart and soul of the MCU and a superhero icon.
Another step to take would be to book a gig that would be contrary to what you do on a typical day—once every 5 to 10 gigs. Even if it is a personal project that’s all you.
It goes without saying that talking to your manager or talent rep might also help you get out of the cycle as they are, after all, the ones finding you gigs.
Several have mentioned Robin Williams but I didn’t see any mention of *Awakenings*, a straight dramatic role with virtually none of his usual comic shenanigans.
Macaulay Culkin in *My Girl* plays a role that’s almost a total opposite of the *Home Alone* character he’s best known for.
And if you want to get into having a typecast, try this on for size:
Go through your phone to find something you’d wear on a typical day. And then embrace it. It might also help to do some research on what kind of person you are using reverse image searches, checking actor type resources, and the like. In other words, be who you are, and just that—embrace your innate talent.
Tom Hanks was the adorable jokester and lovable romcom man until he did Philadelphia and then he became very versatile for everything.
Does Jack Black in the Holiday count? Still goofy but as a romantic lead? Move over Brad Pitt.
So, did you notice any actors who didn’t make the list? Share your picks and takes in the comment section below!
You might also want to check out the original Reddit thread which has generated 1,400 comments in discussion, so they might have more to say about things.
Ryan Gosling in Drive & The Place Beyond the Pines
Before watching him in those movies, I only knew him as the guy from The Notebook
Brad Pitt in 12 Monkeys. That movie showed the world that he could act and wasn’t just a pretty actor.
Most recently I would say Jamie Lee Curtis in Everything Everywhere All At Once. She is known for pretty or sexy or put together characters. In Everything she is dowdy (sometimes evil) but never her usual – and she was great.
Aubrey Plaza has been killing it since her Parks and Rec role and other comedies. Back to Safety Not Guaranteed, but even that wasn’t too far from her Parks and Rec character. I watched Emily The Criminal recently and she was great.
Mary Tyler Moore in Ordinary People. So different that it took me a while to figure out that she was the issue.
Recent memory, Joe Pesci in The Irishman.
Typecasted in the role of “Mafia guy” but unlike his other famous roles where he’s a loud mouth hot-head. Here he’s a very quiet and subdued man who is almost unassuming as a dangerous person besides how people around him react to what he says.
Ben Stiller in Secret Life of Walter Mitty. I think Walter Mitty was originally supposed to be posited as a comedy of sorts, and Stiller does well in comedy roles, but i thought it was just a fantastic emotional piece that just had some absurdity elements.
John Travolta in Pulp Fiction. Everyone and I mean everyone at the time associated him with the Look Who’s talking movies and Saturday Night Fever. Then he just gets this amazing career revival and puts out a badass performance in an instant classic.
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Being someone you’re not takes a lot to pull off. Even if it is for a job, i.e. acting (as opposed to lying, feigning, avoiding situations or responsibilities, etc.).
It’s even more so impressive when an actor who’s historically predominantly been typecast to fill a particular kind of role breaks free from the shackles of assumption and proves to the world just how versatile they are as professionals.
Well, folks on Reddit have been discussing just that: actors who were typecast, but performed spectacularly in a role against that type. Take a scroll down the list to see the answers, and why not also share some of your insights and picks for the list in the comment section below.
Gary Oldman played a lot of bad guys. Liam Neeson played a lot of good guys.
Christopher Nolan reversed that typecasting in Batman Begins.
Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems.
acart005 replied:
I scrolled too damn far before I saw Adam. That man is a Robin Williams level actor in the right films when it comes to flawless serious and comedic acting.
The problem is he figured out he gets paid more to hang out with his friends on camera for mid comedies (ex. Grown Ups). You can't blame him if the studio is gonna pay for you and all your bros to hangout in Hawaii for a few months AND you get a dump truck of cash, you would do it too. So even though I think he has the actual acting potential to equal Robin, his overall filmography never will which is sad.
His debut comedies are eternal classics and Punch Drunk Love, Longest Yard, and Uncut Gems are all extremely well made serious films.
For those unaware, typecasting is when film directors and anyone else responsible repeatedly assign the same actors to the same types of roles because of the appropriateness of their appearance or previous success in the roles. The most common reason for that is the industry and (or) the audience simply wants specific people playing specific roles. Simple as that.
Steve Carell comes to mind for mainly being known for his comedic roles to then doing films like foxcatcher and beautiful boy.
AmusingMusing7 replied:
I think Little Miss Sunshine was his first real dramatic role.
I think Matthew McConaughey is up there for breaking out of the romcom stuff to do things like Interstellar.
An example of typecasting can be seen with actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose entire career is mostly based on the strong man action hero type of character.
The same can be said about the likes of Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, and Bryan Cranston, all of whom mostly had funny, lighthearted or otherwise comedic roles, but when given an antithetical role nailed that too.
Bruce Willis broke into action roles with Die Hard.
TheBoredMan replied:
Yeah people these days forget Bruce Willis was a TV heart throb when Die Hard came out. People were used to 80s body builders starring in action movies and a lot of the buzz came from confusion “An action movie starring BRUCE WILLIS wtf??”
moo-loy replied:
Audiences laughed en mass when trailers for Die Hard were aired. The thought of Bruce Willis playing an action hero was hilarious to the general public.
Woody Harrelson. It would be an understatement to say people were surprised when Woody from Cheers showed up starring in Natural Born Killers.
Also, Bruce Willis. Until Die Hard, everyone knew him as a romantic lead. He was in Moonlighting with Cybill Shepherd.
It’s not to say being typecast is a bad thing. As long as the actor enjoys the role, no harm done. There are drawbacks to being typecast, one of the more annoying ones being that if someone organizes a roast of a typical typecast actor, the roasters can get a couple of cheap jabs at them for always being [insert typecast archetype here].
Surprised I haven't seen Ralph Finnes in here. Guy built his career on prestige drama roles, and never shied away from playing an unlikable character. See The English Patient, Schindler's List, Red Dragon, The Dutchess, Harry Potter, etc. His performances are always heavy.
Then he goes and does The Grand Budapest and you see the guy has great comedic timing. Blew my mind to be laughing at Ralph Finnes.
Between the latest James Bond movies and *Layer Cake*, **Daniel Craig** is mostly known as "suave British spy / criminal." But later he proved he has comedic talent and also a knack for southern accents in *Logan Lucky* and the *Knives Out* films.
Robin Williams playing a killer in Insomnia was always so striking to me. He did such a great job and it was so different from his prior roles.
All jokes aside, typecasting can be problematic. As is with excessive repetition, being typecast can stifle an actors creativity and freedom in a role, it can lead to serious criticism, notwithstanding a role being done for too long which can also lead the audience to lose interest. Lastly, it’s understandable how trends might change and hence a type won’t last forever, leaving an actor having to adjust and adapt to other roles they might have experience in.
Tom Hanks in Road to Perdition. He leaned into that role so hard and it really paid off. Never would’ve thought he’d play a great gangster like that.
But, as mentioned before, typecasting is not bad. Per se.
Typecasting is proven to be an effective way of helping actors lift their career off the ground. Also, knowing a type—one that is clear cut—is easy to capture and define, allowing actors to specialize and make marketing simple. And, in the long run, a well-defined type can lead to name recognition, with actors becoming household names, sort to say.
Most recently Dave Bautista in Knock at the Cabin.
AliasUndercover123 replied:
Bautista in every role. Dude broke in with Guardians and then made a decision to go as varied as possible to break the typecast and prove he's got skill. He's the anti-Rock.
deathbystereo007 replied:
I love that he very obviously cares about working with great directors and pushing boundaries with interesting roles. The Rock has chosen instead to chase money & feed his ego - & thus, has taken on almost no roles that take risks. At one time he did seem relatively eager to take on different types of roles (like in Be Cool), but somewhere along the way he became satisfied with just playing the same character over and over. I don't mean to say that all of his films are bad. The Jumanji reboot & the sequel were surprisingly good. I just always know exactly what I'm getting from The Rock in a movie & that can become stale pretty quickly.
Robert Pattinson post-Twilight BUT ALSO I have so much respect for Elijah Wood and Daniel Radcliffe. They made their money and then just started doing BONKERS stuff that they really believed in and wanted to do. Elijah Wood in Sin City and I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore (plus SpectreVision which is a production company he started that produces proper B horror), and Radcliffe in Horns, Swiss Army Man, and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
FreeShavocadoCitizen replied:
Agree 100%. Loved Elijah so much growing up, then he went from hobbit to serial killer and it was chilling.
justhere4daSpursnGOT replied:
Green street hooligans is a great movie that he really gave his all in. Completely changed my view of him
It goes without saying that breaking a typecast is possible, albeit mileage may vary from professional to professional.
Examples can be seen in this list, but if you’re an aspiring actor or one who needs a change in life, there are a number of things that you can do to break free from the shackles of typecasting.
I haven’t seen anyone mention James Caan’s amazing performance in Elf or George Clooney going to near Nic Cage levels in Burn After Reading. I think Burn After Reading is an amazing overlooked Coen Brothers movie that does a good job getting actors to play against type
I think Sally Field provided the blueprint for breaking type casting originally with Sybil. Then came her Oscar wins.
Will Farrell - Everything must go and Stranger than Fiction.
The most obvious approach is to change your look, behavior or accent. Changing that which is immediately seen can also change how people feel about you.
The same applies to your brand—getting new headshots, reworking the resume and maybe even providing different footage in your portfolio would be a great start.
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers. People were scoffing at the idea that the snarky goofball from Fantastic Four would be the stalwart, noble leader of the avengers. Said Downey would act him off the screen in Avengers. That the character itself was too boring and he wouldn’t elevate it. Instead became the heart and soul of the MCU and a superhero icon.
Another step to take would be to book a gig that would be contrary to what you do on a typical day—once every 5 to 10 gigs. Even if it is a personal project that’s all you.
It goes without saying that talking to your manager or talent rep might also help you get out of the cycle as they are, after all, the ones finding you gigs.
Several have mentioned Robin Williams but I didn't see any mention of *Awakenings*, a straight dramatic role with virtually none of his usual comic shenanigans.
Macaulay Culkin in *My Girl* plays a role that's almost a total opposite of the *Home Alone* character he's best known for.
And if you want to get into having a typecast, try this on for size:
Go through your phone to find something you’d wear on a typical day. And then embrace it. It might also help to do some research on what kind of person you are using reverse image searches, checking actor type resources, and the like. In other words, be who you are, and just that—embrace your innate talent.
Tom Hanks was the adorable jokester and lovable romcom man until he did Philadelphia and then he became very versatile for everything.
Does Jack Black in the Holiday count? Still goofy but as a romantic lead? Move over Brad Pitt.
So, did you notice any actors who didn’t make the list? Share your picks and takes in the comment section below!
You might also want to check out the original Reddit thread which has generated 1,400 comments in discussion, so they might have more to say about things.
Ryan Gosling in Drive & The Place Beyond the Pines
Before watching him in those movies, I only knew him as the guy from The Notebook
Brad Pitt in 12 Monkeys. That movie showed the world that he could act and wasn't just a pretty actor.
Most recently I would say Jamie Lee Curtis in Everything Everywhere All At Once. She is known for pretty or sexy or put together characters. In Everything she is dowdy (sometimes evil) but never her usual - and she was great.
Aubrey Plaza has been killing it since her Parks and Rec role and other comedies. Back to Safety Not Guaranteed, but even that wasn’t too far from her Parks and Rec character. I watched Emily The Criminal recently and she was great.
Mary Tyler Moore in Ordinary People. So different that it took me a while to figure out that she was the issue.
Recent memory, Joe Pesci in The Irishman.
Typecasted in the role of "Mafia guy" but unlike his other famous roles where he's a loud mouth hot-head. Here he's a very quiet and subdued man who is almost unassuming as a dangerous person besides how people around him react to what he says.
Ben Stiller in Secret Life of Walter Mitty. I think Walter Mitty was originally supposed to be posited as a comedy of sorts, and Stiller does well in comedy roles, but i thought it was just a fantastic emotional piece that just had some absurdity elements.
John Travolta in Pulp Fiction. Everyone and I mean everyone at the time associated him with the Look Who’s talking movies and Saturday Night Fever. Then he just gets this amazing career revival and puts out a badass performance in an instant classic.
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